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HORSEMANSH
p,
by very contrary e[eCr!; for fometimes it drives theOl
¡rtte
rice, madneli and defpair, and often nupifi:s and
!otally difpirits them.
• The firn obedience rcquired in a horfe tS going for·
\Vards: TiIl he performs this duty freel y, never even
think of making him rein back, which wonld inevitahly
lI\~ke
him rellive : As foon as he goes Corwards readily,
nO? and carefs him. You mufl remember in this, and
Jikewife in cvery other exercife, to ufe hirn to go equally
well to the right and leCt; and when he obeys, caref,
him and difmifs him immedi.ttly.
lf
a horfe, that is
fery young, takes fright and flands flill, Icad on another
horfe before him, whic:l probably will ioduce him iD·
lIantly to follo
IV.
Put a fnafRe in his mouth; and when
he goes freelr, faddlehim, girting him at fidl very loofe.
Let. the cord, .which you hold, be loog and loore; but
not fo much, fo as to endanger the horfe's enlangliog his
legs in it.
r¡
mufl be obfemd, th?t fmall citeles, in the
beginning, would coníl'rain the hbrfe too much, and put
him upoo deCendir.g himfelf. No.bend mufl be requited
~t
.6rfl: never friffer hin! to gallopfalfe ; but wheoeverhe
attempts it, flop. him without delay, and then (et himoff
afrela. If he gallops of his own accord, and true, pero
mit him tO continue it ; but If hejdoes it not volunta·
rily, do.not demand it of him at firíl. Should he
By
ánd jump, fhake the cord gently upon his nofe with·
out jerking it, and he will fall into his trot again. If
he flands 11011, plunges or rears, let the man who
ho!ds the whi?,' make a naife with it; but never couch
him, till il be abfolutely necelrary to make him go oo.
When you change haods, flop and carefs him, and encice
him by flir means tn COme up to you: ror by prefentiog
yourfelf, as fome do, on a
Cudd~n
before horfes, and
(rightening tbem to the other fide, you run a great
rille
of
giving them a fuyoefs .
Ir
he keeps his head too low,
fhake che
CQfJ1bn
to make him raiCe it: Aod io whatever
tbe horfe does, whetber he walks, erots, or gallops, let
it
be a cooflant rule, that the motion be determined áod
really fucb as is inteded, without the lean fhufRinc, pa·
cíog, or any otber irregular gait.
'[he me/hoJ
of
p/ocing /he riJer and rtnderiwg him firm
on horftbaa, wilh fln/e occafionQ/ illjlruflion¡ for
riden and Ihe horju.
1
T
is necelfary that tbe greatefl amntion, and the fame
gentleileC!, tha! is ufea in teaching the horfes, 5e oh–
ferved likewife in teachiog the rider, efpecially at the be·
ginniog. Every metbod and art mufl be praélifed to
create and preferve, both in man and horfe, all pollible
feeling and fcnfibility, contrary to the uCage of moa
riding maners, who feem indoflriouOy tO labour at abo·
Jifuing theCe principies both in one and the other. As
fo many errential points depend upon the manner in
wbich aman is at firil plmd on horfeback, it ought to
be confidered and atteoded to \Vith the f1riélell care and
exa/\ncfs.
T he abfurJity of putting:a man, whoperhaps has rltver
beforebeen upon a horfe, on a rough trotting horCe, on
whieh he is o!lliged to flick with all the force
oC
his anos
~d
legs, is too ob\ ious to n:ed mentioning. Thisrough
work, all at once, is plaioly as detrimcntal at 6111, as it i.
excelleot aCterwalds in proper time. No man
caA
be ei.
ther \Vell, or .firmly feated on horfeback, unlefs he be
mafler of the balaoce of his body, quite uncoollrained,
with a full polfeflion o/ himfelf, and at rus eafe; none of
which requifites can he enjoy, if bis mention be other.
wi(e engaged;
35
it mufl wholeIy be iD a raw, uofop'
pled, and unprepared Iad, _who is pUt at once upon a
rough horfe: in fue
n
a diflrefsful Ilate he is forced to
keep himCelf on at any rate, by holding to the bridle, (at
the expence of the fenfibility both of bis owo hand, aod
the horCe's mouth,) and by c1ioging .·ith his legs, in
danger of his life, and to tbe ceruin depravation of a
right feeling iD the horfe.
The firfl time aman is put on horfeback, it ought to
be upon a very gentle one, He never fuould be madno
trot, till he is quite eafy io the walk; nor gallop, till
he is able to trot properly. Tbe fame mul! be obfmed
in regard to
horf~ :
theyfuould never
be
made to trot,
till they are obedieot, and their mouths are well formed
00
a walk; Dor he made to gallop, till the fame be eltec.
ted on a troto When he is arrived at (uch a decree or
~rmnefs
in his feat, the more he trots, aod the more he
tides rough horfes, the better. This is nat only the befl
method, but alfo the eaGefl and the Ihonefl : by it,
¡
man is foon made fufficieotly ao horfeman for
¡
fo!dier ;
but by the other dmflable methods, thal are commooly
afed, aman, ioflead of improving, cOntraéis all fnm of
bad habits, aod rides worfe and worfe every day; che
horfe too becomes daily more and more unfit for u(e.
In proceeding according tO lhe maoner propofed, aman
;s reodered 6rm and eafy upon the horfe, both hi$ owo
and the horte's feofibility is preferved, and each
iD
&
Gtuatioo 6t to receive aod praltife allleJl'ons
elt~/\ually.
Among the various methods that are uCed of placing
people on horfeback, few are direéled by reafoo. Be·.
fore you let the man mount, teaeh him to know, and al·
ways tO examine, i[ the eurb be well placed, (ihat is,
when the horfe has a birin his mouth, which at 6rfl he
Ihould not; but only afnallle, lill the rider is firm io bis
feat, aod the horfe alfo fomewbat taught ;) aod likewife
ifthe oofe·baod be properlytight; the t1lfoat band loofifu,
Snd the mouth.piece neither tqo higb oor too lowin tbe
horfe's mouth, but rightly pUl fo as not tO wriokle the
O(io, nor to hang lax; the girts drawo modermly, .but
oot lOO tight; aod the crupper and the Lreafl plate pro·
perIy.djufled. A very good and carefu! hand may veo·
ture on a bit at firfl, and lucceed with it full as \Vdl, al
by beginning with a fnafRealone:
00
co'lrs, indeed, it is
better, in all (chools whatfoever, to avoid any prelfure on
the bars jun al fi rtl, which acurb, thcugh cm fo deli·
carelY'ufed, mufl io fome degree occafion. When the
bridle,
6c.
bave been well Inoked to, let the man ap–
ptoach the horfe gently near the fuoulder; then
taki~~
the reins and an handFul of the mane in his leCt hand, let
him pm his foot fuftly in the left nirrup, by pulliog it
towards him, lean he touch the horfe wlth his toe, then
raifing himfdf up, let himrefl a moment on iL with hil
body upright, but not f1 iff : and aFter tbat palling hit
right
I~g
elear
ov~r
the faddle without ruhbing againll.
any thing, let hiru fm bimfdf gently clown.
H~
mul!
b~